Time Well Spent
by ashlieeexoxo
Summary: A group of students return to Hogwarts after the war for post-graduate studies. In addition to learning, they help each other heal old wounds, and find romance. Non DH compliant. Rated M for future chapters. Trigger warning: addiction, cutting, depression.
1. Chapter 1

AN: I do not own the Harry Potter Universe, just the plot of this story.

Standing on the platform to board the Hogwarts Express, Hermione felt like she was living in an alternate reality. Her life for the past year was filled with pain, running, and a constant terror. The end of Voldemort's reign meant she was safe to live a normal life, and that included finishing her education at Hogwarts. When the letter came inviting her to pursue post-graduate studies at Hogwarts, she jumped at the opportunity. Ron and Harry chose to go straight to the Ministry and begin Auror training. All the students who missed their seventh year were allowed to take a simpler version of the NEWT and awarded diplomas. Most of the students chose this option, it was easier, and it allowed them to begin a new chapter in their lives. Some students however, were offered the chance to take advanced courses- University level, in their respective fields. Hermione had quickly accepted the offer.

As she looked around the station, she could see that there were not many students who agreed to go back to Hogwarts. She saw just 2 of her classmates standing on the platform. Her dear friend, Neville Longbottom was there. As she walked over to greet him, she saw another of her classmates, Draco Malfoy standing next to his mother. They stood apart from everyone else, looking somber. She knew that Lucius was in Azkaban awaiting the Dementor's kiss, and his mother was on house arrest pending her trial. Hermione thought she looked paler than usual, almost sickly. Chalking it up to the stress of her husband's fate, and the uncertainty of her own, Hermione pushed it to the back of her mind. Thinking about Narcissa Malfoy was not something she planned on doing today. She finished crossing the platform, and found Neville.

"Neville!" she cried, "How are you? I haven't seen you all summer!". As she greeted him, she looked him ovre. Neville had certainly grown into himself over the years, and she didn't know if it was the knowledge of what he did during the war or not, but he looked positively dapper.

"Hey Hermione, I didn't know you were coming back this year. It looks like were the only ones." Neville replied. "Gran wouldn't even let me think about not finishing. Her exact words were 'Neville, your parents did not give their sanity so their only son could get a sham diploma. You better pack your trunk young man, because Hogwarts is where your heading.' I couldn't put up a fight, especially considering how proud she's been of me since last May."

"Well I am very glad your here Neville, but were not alone, I saw Draco Malfoy earlier. He was standing with his mum." Hermione confided "I wonder why he is here. Surely he knows that he won't be well received."

Neville gave her a frown "I think I might know, but this isn't the time to explain. Let's get on the train before it fills up."

With that the two turned and boarded the train. They quickly found an empty compartment and sat down. Hermione pulled out a book to read while Neville settled in for a nap. Conversation could come later.

Hermione was so engrossed in her book that she did not hear the door slide open, but she did hear the polite cough. Looking up she was shocked to see Draco Malfoy standing in the door way. He looked haggard, his clothes hanging on his thin frame, and his cheekbones much more prominent. This caused his normally gorgeous face to have a haunted quality to it. His deep blue eyes were full of a pain, just waiting to spill over. He opened his mouth, as if to begin speaking and shut it again.

"Did you need anything Malfoy?" Hermione asked. She tried to sound civil. There would be no peace this year if she started off by acting rude.

He responded so quietly, she wasn't sure she actually heard him. "Could I sit with you two?"

Shocked Hermione replied "Why? Don't you have someone else to sit with?"

"Actually I don't. No one from my house came back, the ones that had the option were too afraid. No one from the younger years will look me in the eye, let alone let me sit with them, and there are no empty compartments left." He looked away embarrassed, as if this request took all of his pride away. She could certainly understand his reasoning, and she felt a little bad for him.

"I suppose it's alright" she finally acquiesced. "Just don't wake Neville up, and please don't disturb my reading" she warned. He nodded his agreement, sat down, and pulled out a book of his own.  
Under the guise of reading her book, Hermione was able to reflect on their situation. She had read the stories in the paper, and heard the rumors around Diagon Alley. She knew that Draco had been forced to do the things he did by his father. She knew Draco could be a good person, and she hoped that by putting aside his pride and sitting with them on the train, he was making a first step in the right direction.

She was anxious to arrive at school and begin unpacking. The events of the day had already taken it's toll on her, and she was very tired. She knew better than to fall asleep on the train in front of other people, so she was relieved when the conductor finally let them know to change into their robes. As she pulled them on, she thought about the year ahead. Where would they stay? What will the lessons be like? How will the other students treat her? The uncertainty of the next year made her extremely anxious. She reached into her bag and took the little white pill she kept for emergencies. An attack right now in the middle of the train would not be very good. As it slid down her throat, she felt the train come to a stop. She grabbed her wand, and slid it into her pocket. Neville and Draco were both standing as well, and together they left their compartment, walked up to a carriage and began the trek to the school's entrance.


	2. Chapter 2

Relief washed over her as Hogwarts came into view. She didn't know if it was the pill or if it was the reassurance of the school. She looked at her carriage companions, who were sitting in complete silence. Neville looked at Draco like he wouldn't mind punching him in the face, while Draco merely looked depressed. He didn't show any fear of arriving at Hogwarts, but he didn't show any relief either. She wondered again why he was here. Surely he could have fared better at a foreign school if he really wanted to finish his education, somewhere he wasn't notorious.

The carriage stopped with a jolt, abruptly ending her train of thought. "Here we are" she thought to herself as she disembarked. Neville got out first, reached back and helped Hermione down. The two started walking up the stairs to the school as Draco trailed behind them.  
"They seemed to have cleaned everything up nicely" Neville commented.  
"Yea it hardly looks like there was a battle here just a few months ago. Filch really outdid himself" she responded. "Let's get inside Neville, it's a little chilly out here".

They got inside the doors, welcoming the warmth of the great hall. It was unusually cold outside for September, but the castle was lit up with warm crackling fires, a welcome relief. Hermione and Neville found a seat at the Gryffindor table next to Ginny Weasley. Molly wouldn't hear of Ginny dropping out to be with Harry, and Hermione knew that Ginny was not very happy about the situation. Hermione also knew that Harry had permission to visit the school anytime he wanted, and that he planned on surprising Ginny this weekend, so she didn't think Ginny's situation was dire. As the Great Hall filled up with students, she looked around and could see that many students were missing. She felt a wave of sadness crash over her as she realised that the horrors of last year could not just be forgotton. They lived on in the missing students, the holes in the tables and in their hearts. She looked at the staff table, and saw that it too was missing people. It seems that Flitwick had finally retired. The battle must have done a number on his heart. The headmistress sat in the middle of the table looking as she always had, proud and strong. After dinner Professor McGonagall stood up to give her welcoming speech to the students.

After the usual welcome back business she started to go over a few announcements. "This year is a new beginning after the pain we have all endured. Everyone has lost someone, or has suffered a change in their lives. We have a grief counselor here at Hogwarts to speak with anyone who needs it. This year will also see a change in the awarding of house points. Acts of interhouse unity will be awarded points. The time of creating strife within our own walls is done. Students are encouraged to befriend students of other houses, and projects will be assigned in classes to encourage this behavior. Now it is getting late. I wish you all a wonderful term prefects, please lead your students to their houses, and would the post-graduate students come up here."

Hermione looked at Neville, wondering why they were going to McGonagall instead of to Gryffindor tower, he just shrugged and they walked up together. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Draco coming up as well. As the Hall emptied of the younger students, Hermione could see she was right earlier. It was just the three of them. McGonagall pursed her lips as they came up, giving them her typical critical stare.

"As I'm sure you know, the addition of eighth year students, for lack of a better term, is very nontraditional. There is no room for you in your respective house areas, so we have cleaned out another tower for your use. You will have the same status as the Heads, but with a few perks. Because you are adults, and you have techinically graduated, you are free to go to Hogsmeade as you please, and you may leave the school as long as you ask permission first. Your rooms will not face the same enchantments that the house areas usually include. Your lessons will mostly take place amongst yourselves, or alone. I know it may seem unorthodox to place boys and girls together, but I know the three of you and I know that you are not only excellent students, but all of you are eager to have a new start. I hope that I will not be disappointed in any of you."

With that they were dismissed. McGonagall handed them a map to find their new tower and left the Hall.

The three looked at each other in slight shock. Hermione couldn't believe that she had to live with Draco, but at least she had Neville around in case he tried any funny business. She wanted to believe he was willing to turn over a new leaf, but she also knew what he and his family were capable of.

"Well roomies, I guess we should go find our room eh?" Neville joked. "Looks like it's close to the library, that should be good for you right Hermione?"

"Ooh really? It would probably help my shoulders to not carry books all the way up to Gryffindor tower." Hermione exclaimed. "Let's go, I want to see our rooms".

They went off together, Neville talking the whole time about some garden he planted in June, and Draco looking at the floor with that same somber expression.

The painting that concealed their tower was of an elegant woman wearing a long evening gown and standing in a spring garden. Neville told her the password and she swung upon to show them the most beautiful common room Hermione had ever seen. It looked like a sitting room in a victorian home, decadently furnished. Instead of house colors, it was decorated in rich golds and browns. The fireplace was huge, with a fire already crackling in it. The warmth of the fire spread to every corner of the room. The bathroom was located off the main room, and it was also decorated beautifully. The walls were a lovely steel blue color, and the finishes were all a vibrant silver. The bath was in the very center of the room, the size of a jacuzzi with every bubble and scent available through the tap. The three bedrooms were also off the main room, and each student had a private staircase to their own room. Hermione's room was decorated in the familiar Gryffindor red and gold. It was comforting and beautiful, and she loved it.

She went downstairs to talk to the boys, and hopefully agree to a few rules for living together. She knew from staying at the Weasley's that teenage boys can be messy and rude, and she did not want to deal with that stress. Not at Hogwarts.

"They certainly did a wonderful job with the decorating didn't they?" Hermione began. "I love my room, did they do yours in Slytherin colors?" she asked Draco.

He looked up at her, surprised she spoke to him. "Yes, they did. It looks very nice" he told her. He immediately looked back down at the floor.

Hermione was intrigued by his behavior. This was a Draco Malfoy she had never seen before. Again she wondered what he was doing here, and why was he acting like this. Before she could open her mouth to say anything else, however, Neville came bounding down his stairs. "Hermione do you have a balcony? I have a balcony!" he exclaimed.

"Oh I didn't even look. I wanted to come down and talk to you guys about setting some ground rules for living together." she responded. Draco and Neville both looked at her like she was crazy.

"Rules for living together?" Neville snorted. "What kind of rules?"

"I don't know rules like, don't leave things laying around, knock before entering someone's room, etc." she explained. "Nothing serious, just common courtesy things." The boys both nodded their agreement at her suggestions.

"Those are reasonable requests Hermione, I think we can follow them" Neville agreed.

"I do have one more thing," Hermione added, "under no circumstances should you wake me up in the morning. I know it's silly, but I have terrible bedhead" she quickly explained. It wasn't the truth, but it would be enough to keep them away in the morning time. Draco gave her a strange look before he nodded his agreement with this request. "Do you two have anything to add?" Hermione asked.

Neville shook his head no, but Draco spoke up. "I know you guys are not very happy that you have to live with me, but I just want you to know that I am sorry for the way I acted before. I hope we can live amicably together, and I will try my hardest to not bother you."

Hermione looked at him with a very McGonagallish stare. "They point of this year is to increase interhouse unity, and to heal our wounds from the previous year. What better way to heal than to become friends with you Draco? We will be living together, learning and studying together. You won't bother us by being around us. I can't speak for Neville, but I would like to forget all of the bad blood between us live peacefully."

Neville looked from Hermione to Draco and said "I agree with Hermione. I know we haven't ever been friends before, but I would like to begin rebuilding. We may not become best mates, but we should be civil with one another."

Draco nodded "fair enough. If you'll excuse me, I am very tired I think I'll turn in for the night" They said good night to him and he went up the stairs to his room. Neville turned to Hermione as soon as they heard his door click shut.

"What do you think, did he mean it?" he inquired.

"I don't know. I'm still trying to figure out why he's here" Hermione replied. "Why did he come back?"

"Oh you really don't know?" Neville looked surprised at knowing something Hermione Granger didn't. "Right after his father was sentenced, they found out his mother had some deadly illness. That's why they gave her house arrest instead of prison, so she could spend some time with Draco before she goes. They don't think she'll make it til christmas. I guess she wanted Draco to have a place to go when she's gone, so she sent him back here"

Hermione digested that information in silence, remembering Narcissa's pallor at King's Cross. She looked at Neville "I wonder why he's being nice though."

Neville shrugged "I don't know, but I'm sure we'll find out eventually" He got up and headed to his room "Good night Hermione. See you in the morning". Hermione got up to go to her own room. "Good night Neville" she waved and started climbing her staircase.


	3. Chapter 3

As soon as she reached her room, Hermione withdrew her wand and locked her door. She then went through the familiar litany of spells muffling and warding her room. She did not want anyone to hear her, or get into the room without her knowing. She looked around the room, and noticed she also had a balcony. Locking and warding that door as well meant she was safe to finally unpack and lay down. Her clothes were already put away by the house elves, but she knew they would not unpack the false bottom in her trunk. She reached in and hit the small knot in the wood that unlatched it. The bottom popped up revealing her secret stash. Her anxiety medication, sleeping draughts, dreamless sleep potions, healing potions, and her small knife. She reached in and grabbed the knife, reveling in the cool feeling it imparted onto her hand. She took off her necklace and as she did cuts and scars began appearing all over her body. The necklace had been a gift from the Ministry to hide the mudblood scar on her arm, the one Bellatrix had given her last year in Malfoy Manor. She couldn't believe how calm she had been all day with Draco Malfoy in the same tower as her, and she quietly congratulated herself on the effectiveness of her calming draught. She had tweaked a few of the ingredients to eliminate the side effects of drowsiness and antipathy, but it looks like it suppressed her anxiety and fears more than the other batches.  
Pulling her clothes off, she sat on the edge of her bed and thought about the day. She was living next to a Malfoy. His family had tortured her and her friends. He wanted to be civil, she wanted peace. "This could work out," Hermione thought, "as long as we both try." Her mind turned to the Great Hall, and how much emptier it had been. She thought of all the students who were gone, then thought of all the people she knew who had given their lives so that she could have a brighter future. Remus, Tonks, Fred, and so many more. The slice of the knife felt wonderful across her thigh. The feeling of utter release as her emotional pain became physical. She could fight physical pain, heal it. She took a healing potion to begin the healing process, and then a sleeping draught. It was late and she did not want to be tired in the morning. As the sleeping potion took hold of her, the last thing she thought of was Draco Malfoy, and wondered again why he would come back, really.

The morning came far too quickly for Hermione. The sun shone through the balcony doors and into her face gently waking her up. She arose and immediately went to her trunk. Pulling out a calming draught, and her anxiety medication she downed both with the aid of a water bottle. It was always better to take them as a preventative measure than to have an episode in the middle of class. Grabbing her shower bag and her clothes for the day, she went downstairs to the bathroom to get ready for the day.  
She was halfway down the stairs before she remembered her necklace. She sprinted back up to her room to grab it before Neville and Draco could see her. Once she had it on, and was sure it's concealment charm was working, she trekked back down stairs. Neville was sitting in the common room reading a book on herbology, but Draco was nowhere to be seen.  
"Good morning Neville" Hermione called. "Studying before you have your schedule? Have we traded places?"  
"Oh no, I just love a good book on plants" Neville replied good-naturedly. "Did you sleep well?"  
"Like a rock" Hermione replied, quickly changing the subject "Where is Draco? Has he gone down to breakfatst already?"  
"I think so, I haven't seen him yet this morning. He must have left very early." Neville told her.  
At that moment, the portrait hole swung upon and Draco stalked in, looking very angry. He stopped when he saw the two of them, and masked his volatile expression.  
"Good morning Draco, have you been down to breakfast?" Hermione asked, hesitatingly. She didn't know why he looked so angry, but she wanted to find out.  
"Actually I was up in the owlery sending a letter to my mum." Draco responded.  
"You've been gone for a while now" Neville replied "Were there alot of other people up there?"  
"No I was delayed actually." Draco began, "It seems we have another roomate who only just arrived. Professor McGonagall asked me to meet him at the gate."  
"Oh who is it?" Hermione asked. She hoped it would be another girl, she felt very out numbered right now.  
Suddenly the door swung open.  
"Good morning all" came the elegant voice of Blaise Zabini. "Did you miss me?"


	4. Chapter 4

Shocked, Hermione and Neville just stood there, mouths open. Not only was Blaise a boy, but he was another Slytherin boy! Things were surely going to get ugly now that Draco had backup.  
"Hello Blaise, what are you doing here?" Hermione choked out. Everyone turned to look at her, surprised at her words. "I mean, what kept you from taking the train?" she tried again a little more politely. The last thing she wanted to do was be the catalyst that destroyed the peace.  
"Oh you know a little of this, a little of that" Blaise replied, winking at her. "Have you all been to breakfast yet? I am positively starving, let's all go together." They boys all nodded their agreement to Blaise's suggestion, but Hermione said "I actually haven't finished getting ready yet. You all go, and I'll meet you down there." The guys trooped out of the door together and Hermione went to the bathroom to finish getting ready. As soon as she shut the door, she let go of the tears she had been holding back. Blaise Zabini was here. She was to spend the entire year in his company. A feeling of hopelessness washed over her, cresting like a wave. Her fear of the unknown bubbled to the surface and she struggled to keep her demons down as a sob broke out. She cast a Muffliatto on the room and got in the bath. The warm water washed over her body while her mind turned to her memories of Blaise Zabini.

McGonagall had given her the time turner to help her get to all of her classes in her third year, and had given it back at the end of the school year. In the beginning of her sixth year she found a time turner a small box next to her bed with a note attached. The note read "3 turns in front of the room of requirement while you go to potions class. -B" That note began their affair, hidden in a different time to keep from ever being caught. So while she went to class in one time stream, she used the time turner to go back and meet Blaise in the room of requirement.  
When she walked in, the room was decorated in soft colors and a fire was crackling merrily in the corner. Blaise was sitting in a chair next to a small bistro table. There was an empty chair across from him, and he gestured for her to sit in it. Wordlessly, she crossed the room and took her place across from him.  
Blaise looked at her and smiled. "God 'Mione, stop shooting me death glares. I just want to talk." he attempted to reassure the girl. "I never get the chance to talk to you out there, because of the whole Gryffindor-Slytherin hate thing."  
Hermione looked at him sceptically. "What do you want to talk about?" she asked.  
"We could start with how adorable you look when your uncomfortable. I know you don't like breaking rules Hermione, but I just needed to spend time with you." He explained, "we haven't spent much time together lately. I miss you."  
Hermione gave him a dirty look, "I think Harry's onto me Blaise. I don't like lying to my friends. I don't like coming here and worrying that I'll get caught. You need to realize that this is not going to work. We're too different, and no one would approve of this relationship. What would your parents say? Would you take me home to meet them? Tell them we've been meeting secretly for months? Explain how this relationship began with you tricking me into coming here? What would they say about you dating a muggle-born Blaise?" Hermione found it hard to contain her anger. "This isn't working, just stop trying to force it!"  
Blaise looked at her, his face wiped of the easy smile he just had. "Fine Hermione, if thats what you really want, it's done. I won't bother you anymore".  
Hermione looked up, her face a mixture of emotions. She liked Blaise, alot, but she knew that this relationship was toxic. They had to hate each other outside of this room, and she knew with the coming war they would be pushed even further apart.  
Hermione looked back at Blaise, her hand on the door. "Maybe after the war we could try this again" she whispered.  
"Thanks Hermione, but the whole let's be friends thing just doesn't work for me" Blaise responded coldly. "Just go."  
Hermione left, feeling a little more reassured that she could stop sneaking around behind everyone's back and stop pretending to be upset about Ron dating Lavender Brown.

Two weeks later Harry, Ron and Hermione ran into Draco and Blaise talking in the hallway. Draco looked over at the trio sneering, "Hello Potty, Weasel. Taking the Mudblood out for a walk are you?" Harry and Ron pulled out their wands the same time Draco and Blaise did. Hermione ran in front of Harry trying to get him to put his wand down while yelling to Ron that it wasn't worth it. Draco cast a body bind on Ron while Blaise tied Harry with ropes. They both turned to Hermione who whimpered and reached for her wand. Draco looked to Blaise and said "What should we do with her?"  
Blaise looked at her with disgust on his face, masking his concern for her.  
"Nothing, leave the Mudblood bitch. Someone will be coming down here soon and we need to get out of here." he responded coolly. They turned and walked away, their robes billowing behind them.  
Hermione, cried as she undid the curses on her friends. They assumed it was from fear over the encounter. None of them saw the fear in Blaise's eyes when he thought Hermione would be hurt, and they didn't see the hurt on Hermione's face after Blaise insulted her.


	5. Chapter 5

A sharp knocking on the door brought Hermione out of her reverie.  
"Hermione, it's Neville are you alright? You missed breakfast." he called through the door.  
Cursing her own stupidity, she lifted the Muffliatto on the room and responded "Sorry Neville, I must have fallen asleep, I'll be right out." She quickly dried off and dressed in jeans and a long sleeve shirt. She pulled her robes on over her street clothes, and fastened her concealing neclace on top of eveyrthing. A quick brush and dry of her hair, and a little make up meant she was ready to go out and face everyone.  
Neville was sitting in the chair closest to the fire, and she could hear Draco talking with Blaise in his room. When she walked out Neville looked up at her and smiled. "Hey Hermione, I thought you drowned in there! Since you missed breakfast, I snagged you some toast and pumpkin juice. I told Mcgonagall you were busy reading already, and she asked me to bring you your schedule too."  
Hermione laughed "Thanks Neville. I completely lost track of time in my thoughts. I love pumpkin juice, and thank you for covering for me with McGonagall."  
She reached over to grab her schedule just as Blaise and Draco came down the stairs. They were chatting about Quidditch, both saying their team was going to be the best this year. Neville heard them, and jumped in quickly giving Hermione some time to look over her schedule. She just had a few classes this year, the graduate studies being a small, new program. Magical Contracts, History of the Wizenmagot, Wizarding Torts, and Magical Research and Writing. She wondered who would be teaching these courses, and if any other students would be taking them with her. She noticed that she did not have class until 1:00 that afternoon, so she turned to go up stairs and grab her books to start reading.  
"Hermione, what classes do you have?" Blaise asked. Hermione jumped at his words, startled she handed him her schedule wordlessly. "Look Draco, Hermione has the exact same classes we do. What's your program of study Hermione?" Blaise questioned, looking at her curiously.  
"Magical Law" she responded, wondering why she was so unlucky. All her classes with Draco and Blaise?  
"Really, that's mine as well. Draco here is studying Magical Banking. I guess our programs overlap a bit" Blaise told her. "This is good, we can study together." he said.  
"Oh how nice, look I was just about to run up to my room to grab some books to start reading before class-" Hermione began before Blaise cut her off with "Oh I'll help you grab them. I'm sure they're heavy.", and before she could stop him he was halfway to her staircase. Following him she again cursed her luck, and hoped he wasn't up to anything.  
In her room, Blaise was sitting on her bed smirking at her. "Hey there 'Mione. Nice room, but I think they did a terrible job on the decorating. All this red and gold is gross." With that he crossed the room and grabbed her hand, the want on his face evident. He pulled her into a hug, crushing her to his chest.  
"Hermione, I thought you were going to die. Everytime they talked about you or Potter, how they thought they knew where you were, what they would do to you if they found you, it killed me. Why would you go on the run with Potter? Why couldn't you owl me and tell me you were alive!" Blaise choked out.  
"I didn't know you cared" Hermione answered. "After what you said that day 6th year, I assumed you didn't care about me anymore."  
Blaise looked at her incredulously. "Not care? Hermione I only said those things because Draco was there, I didn't mean them! I was trying to get him to leave you alone" he explained. "It doesn't matter. That was a long time ago, and I'm here now." He looked at her expectantly, and said "we can be together now 'Mione. I don't care what anyone thinks. We're adults, we can do what we want."  
Hermione looked at him sadly, "Blaise, I can't date anyone, least of all you. You hurt me so much, and after what happened with Ron over the summer, I just can't bear the thought of a relationship right now." She stifled her tears, not wanting to explain the rest of her sad story.  
Blaise stood up and looked at her sadly. He grabbed her by the chin and pulled her face up to look him in the eye and said "I didn't think you would take me back so quickly, in fact I would have been shocked if you had. But I'm going to fight for you 'Mione. I will prove to you that we should be together. I just wanted to let you know that I am not going to back down and just forget." With that he reached over, grabbed her books, and took them downstairs.  
Hermione sat on the spot on the bed Blaise had just vacated. Fight for her? What did that mean? Surely he didn't think she still had feelings for Ron to compete with. Everyone knew what happened between them, it was in all the papers. Ron Weasley caught in bed with another woman, Hermione Granger betrayed in front of the whole world. The tabloids had a field day with it, the golden trio broken up just two months after defeating Voldemort. Hermione knew she hadn't loved Ron, but his indescretion gave her a way out, a chance to leave their loveless relationship. Ron was too simple for her, she needed someone who could maintain an intellectual conversation. Maybe a relationship with Blaise would be good for her? "No, you don't deserve happiness, and you certainly don't deserve Blaise. If your best friend couldn't find you attractive enough to stay around, why would Blaise? Why would anyone? Your nothing but a filthy Mudblood" She sneered to her reflection. Reaching into her trunk she pulled out the knife, and slid it across her lower arm. The blood flowed across her skin, the warmth and the pain reminding her of her humanity. She took a healing potion, and made sure her necklace was clasped before heading downstairs.


	6. Chapter 6

A few days later, after class, Hermione sat down on the couch and pulled one of her books towards her. Looking over she saw that Neville had left the tower and Draco was playing wizards chess with Blaise. As their game went on the two got louder, exclaiming everytime a piece was killed. When Blaise announced his intention to go get soem food from the kitchen, Hermione was extremely relieved.

"Finally" she thought to herself, "some peace and quiet."

Blaise asked if anyone else needed anything, and after getting Draco's order for chips and dip, he was off. Hermione went back to reading her book, but had only made it a few sentences before she felt someone sit down on the other side of the couch. She looked over her book, and saw Draco watching her.

"Yes?" she asked testily.

"I was just wondering what you were reading." he said. Hermione looked at him closely. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bother you" he apologized. He got up, as if to leave, but Hermione put her book down and quickly asked "Draco, are you okay?"

He turned to her "Of course I am, why?".

"Well you seem to be sad all of the time, and your acting very nice." Hermione explained. "It's not a bad thing, but it's strange for you." she added.

Draco sat back down and said "I don't want to be bad anymore, my father can't control me now. I don't have to be rude and mean because he wants me to, I can be who I want to be." The pain in his eyes broke her heart while he waited for her response. He looked at her, beggin her with his eyes to see he had changed, like he needed her to accept him. Hermione couldnt believe what she was seeing. Draco Malfoy needed validation from Hermione Granger?

"I think that's very brave of you Draco." she responded carefully. After hearing his confession, Hermione vowed to befriend Draco. She wanted him to redeem himself, and to be a good person. "Say Draco, why don't you show me some chess moves? I've never been good at it, and I would love to cream Harry the next time we play."

Draco jumped up and said "Alright, I'll show you some moves, but not all of them. I wouldn't want you to try beating me!" It seemed her acceptance of his change cheered him up. For the rest of the night he was in a much better mood, and when Blaise walked in an hour later, he found the two of them huddled over the chessboard laughing together. They were so engrossed in the game that they did not see the look of anger that crossed over face when he saw them together. He quickly masked his rage at Draco before striding over to the two.

"Here you go Draco, I got your silly chips and dip" Blaise said. "What are you two doing?"

"Oh Draco was just showing me a few moves that I could use against Harry when we play." Hermione answered. "How was your snack?"

Blaise looked at her face and thought to himself how beautiful it was. "Lovely" he murmured. Realizing he said it outloud he covered for himself "Lovely, the elves had a decadent spread out. You should have been there" he said, sinking into the chair next to him. "Say guys, what do you think about playing a little roommate bonding game later?" he asked.

Hermione looked at him skeptically and asked "Roommate bonding? What is this a sorority?".

Draco laughed with her "Yea mate, what is this?".

Blaise looked at them hurt and said "Fine you guys don't want to be friends, thats okay. I just thought this would be a good idea. Interhouse unity and all that." He got up as if to leave, but Hermione said "No Draco, Blaise is right, we should play a bonding game. McGonagall would be proud of us, promoting unity, and it might help us become friends!"

Blaise hid his smirk, and turned to them saying "Good, let Longbottom know and we'll meet here at eight tonight. I'm going to run down to Hogsmeade to grab a few supplies, I'm running terribly low on ink."

Hermione and Draco waved goodbye and turned back to their game. Blaise left the tower chuckling to himself. This game was going to turn the tide in his favor for Hermione.

Once Blaise left Draco turned to look at Hermione. He could not believe how stupid he had ever been to look up to his father and follow his rules. She was far more beautiful then he remembered her, perhaps because he had never spent so much time up close with her, but even so he could see there was something different about her. Her eyes had a darkness to them that he knew was never there before. He wondered what the year before had done to her, if she hurt as much as he did. Her acceptance of him was more than he had ever hoped for, it made him dream of a better future for himself and his family.

At that moment Neville walked in, and they filled him in on the bonding game night before they all headed down to dinner.


	7. Chapter 7

After a huge dinner of roast beef and vegetables, the four graduate students headed up to their room. When they climbed through the portrait hole, they were surprised to discover Blaise had already begun setting up the room. He had soda and snacks set up on a table, and upbeat music playing for ambience. There was a table set up with four comfortable chairs around it. A wooden board was sitting in the middle of the table with a small crystal ball in the center. Inside the crystal ball was a brilliant blue fire.

"Blaise you've done a wonderful job setting up!" exclaimed Hermione.

"What are we playing?" Draco asked nervously. He knew the table Blaise had out, and he wasn't very keen on this bonding exercise anymore. Blaise just looked at him innocently "Why Draco, I thought you loved this game," he said.

Draco pointed a very rude gesture his way and said "I don't think this game is a good idea."

Hermione looked from Draco to Blaise, and back. "What do you mean?" she asked "This bonding is a great idea. We have to live together for 3 years, we should be friends. This is a good way to facilitate that. Plus I haven't had a game night in ages!".  
Draco looked at Hermione, she obviously didn't know what this game was going to involve. Neville looked queasy, but he clearly wanted to be a good sport about this. "Hermione, do you know what this game is?" Neville asked.

"No, what is it?" she asked, beginning to feel a little uneasy. Clearly, if Longbottom was upset she had reason to be as well.

Blaise cut in before Neville could explain, "Hermione, I simply want to play a game of Truth or Dare. Wizarding style of course. We will set rules before hand to make sure nothing gets out of hand, but this will help us learn more about each other, and have some fun together." Hermione could see no problem with this, as long as they established rules ahead of time, nothing bad could come of a game, right?

"Alright boys, I think we should play" she said, looking around the room. Walking over to the table she picked a spot and sat down.

The boys followed suit, Neville on her left, Blaise on her right, and Draco across form her. Blaise asked if everyone understood the rules, and Hermione asked if there was anything different about wizarding truth or dare that the muggle game did not include.  
Blaise made sure he had everyone's attention before beginning "Wizard truth or dare is different because you must complete the dare, or answer truthfully. You can not lie, if you try you will be compelled to tell the truth. If you do not complete your dare, you will be struck with dare sickness. It manifests differently in every person, but it is very unpleasant." he explained to Hermione. "We will start by pricking our fingers and dropping a single drop onto the board to begin the game. This is what drives the compulsion, you are voluntarily entering into the game knowing the consequences." Blaise said, and then pricked his finger. The rest followed suit. Blaise asked, "Now, what restrictions do we place upon this game?".

"Nothing detrimental to health" Neville quickly threw in.  
"Nothing overtly sexual in nature" Draco said  
"Nothing that could get us expelled" Hermione exclaimed. They all turned to look at her incredulously. Of all the options, she chose don't get expelled.  
"Then by these rules we swear, let the game begin" Blaise finished solemnly.


	8. Chapter 8

Blaise went first, turning to Neville. "Truth or Dare, Neville".  
"I think truth" Neville responded.  
"Why are you so secretive about your program of study?" Blaise asked.  
"I don't want everyone to make fun of me for studying Herbology" Neville answered, surprised at his response.  
"Fair enough" Blaise said. "Now it's your turn."

"Back at you Blaise, truth or dare?" Neville asked.  
"Hmm I didn't expect my turn so quickly, how about dare?" Blaise told him.  
"I dare you to go to breakfast in the morning without your pants." Neville said laughing.  
"Ugh, I thought we said nothing that could get us expelled." Blaise complained.  
"Oh you wont get expelled, just a stern lecture from McGonagall" Hermione giggled, picturing it in her mind.

"Very well, Hermione, since you think it's so funny, Truth or Dare?" Blaise turned to Hermione and looked at her questioningly.  
Hermione thought about it. She didn't want a horrible retaliation dare, so she picked Truth.  
"Are you glad that you and Weasley broke up?" Blaise asked. Draco leaned in, excited to hear the answer, an action that did not go unnoticed by Blaise.  
Hermione felt herself compelled to speak words she didn't even know she felt. "I'm conflicted." she admitted. "I am happy we broke up because I always felt like our relationship was uneven, and our conversations were incredibly dull, but I am also sad that I wasn't good enough for him."  
The boys were shocked. Hermione Granger not good enough for Ron Weasley? It was definitly the other way around. Neville looked uncomfortable with the knowledge that the brightest witch he had ever met, and his good friend too, had such low self-esteem. He quickly tried to change the subject. "Alright Hermione it's your turn to ask someone" he said.

"Um, Draco you haven't gone yet. Truth or Dare?" she asked.  
"Dare" he responded.  
"Alright, I dare you to kiss Blaise on the cheek!" she said in between giggles.  
"Hey no fair, I said nothing sexual!" Draco complained. But he knew her dare was within the limits, so he quickly complied with the dare, and then pantomined wiping his tongue off.  
"Oh come off it mate, you know I'm beautiful" Blaise said, pretending to be hurt.

The game carried on like that for an hour or so, joking and laughing until a dark cloud filled the globe followed by a small crack of lightning. It was Blaise's turn to ask a question when it happened, causing everyone to jump. Neville looked scared. Out of the cloud fell a small piece of paper floated to the surface of the globe so they could read it. Hermione looked at everyone's scared faces and laughed. "What is that, you all look so afraid of a piece of paper!" she said.

They looked at her, and this time Draco explained. "Wizard Truth or Dare globess come with a lightning round feature, where the globe asks a truth that everyone has to answer. The questions they ask are usually very specific and deep. And they usually embarass you." Draco informed her.

Blaise leaned over to read the question. Reading it aloud to the others he said "What is your deepest secret?" Hermione looked afraid now too, her deepest secret was one she never wanted to share.

Blaise looked at everyone's scared faces, mirroring their fear. "Whatever our secrets are, they can not leave this table. Is that understood?". Everyone nodded in agreement, but no one seemed willing to go first. Finally Neville spoke up.  
"I'll go first, and then Draco, Blaise, and we'll end with Hermione." he said. Again everyone nodded, so Neville began. "My deepest secret is that Luna and I got married in July. That's why I'm gone so much, I'm spending time with her. We didn't want anyone to know until after she graduated because her dad didn't approve." They all looked at him surprised, Neville was married?

Draco looked around, "I guess I'll go" he said. "My deepest secret is that I allowed my father to abuse my mother, and I never stepped in to save her" Draco told them, hanging his head in shame.

Blaise looked into Hermione's eyes "My deepest secret is the time we shared together Hermione" he said. Draco jumped up, startled, looking from Blaise to Hermione, while Neville looked confused. Before they could say anything Blaise cut them off. "Hermione it's your turn" he said.

Hermione took a deep breath, and before she realized what she was doing, before she could stop herself she reached up and grabbed her concealment necklace. "My deepest secret is that I wear this necklace to hide from everyone" and with that she ripped it off exposing the scars and cuts all over her body. With the charm off, they could also see how thin she really was, the ghostly white pallor of her skin, and the deadness in her eyes. Shocked they all stood up, Blaise reached for Hermione, Neville yelled "Mione why" and Draco just stood there dumbstruck. Hermione realized what she had done, turned and ran to her room. She threw her wards up as soon as she crossed the threshold, and locked the door.

A/N I know I don't usually do notes, but I wanted to apologize for the lack of updates. I just finished my semester, and was swamped with finals and work. I also had a lot of issues with the actual writing of this chapter. I really wanted to do the whole "Hermione forced to show her issues so the guys can save her" thing, but when I wrote it out, the words just didn't seem to flow. Anyways, enough of my ramblings, I promise to try and update more often!


	9. Chapter 9

After Hermione ran upstairs, the three boys gathered around the fire to discuss what had just happened. This game had clearly taken a turn for the worse, and now they were faced with the knowledge that something was very wrong with Hermione.  
"I can't believe she's been hiding that this entire time" Blaise choked out. "The pain she must be in to do those things to herself- why didn't we notice?" he demanded. "We should have noticed, we should have done something!" he cried.  
Draco was staring at Blaise. "What about you mate? Hiding something like that when you knew how I felt!" he yelled. "You knew how I felt about her and you fell in love with her? When the hell did that happen?" Draco looked at Blaise, seething. "What happened between you two?" Draco demanded, "Tell me!" and he grabbed Blaise and threw him against the wall.  
Blaise looked at Draco and laughed "Why would I have told you? You were too busy plotting how to kill your father and get out of killing Dumbledore. Hermione and I had a fling Draco, back in 6th year. Right under your nose, you didn't even notice." Draco looked furious, his rage seeping out as he reached back and punched Blaise in the face. Blaise laughed again as blood started dripping out of his nose, "It was you who turned me onto her Draco. If I hadn't found that pathetic journal of yours confessing your feelings for her, I never would have talked to the little witch." he sneered.  
Draco lunged for him and tackled him to the floor while Neville screamed for them to stop it. He reached into the scuffle and pulled Draco off of Blaise. "Guys this isn't the time! Hermione needs help, we need to figure out what to do." Neville yelled. He threw Draco onto the chair, and stood between the two. "Should we tell Mcgonagall? Or Harry?" Neville asked. "We need to get her help" he explained.  
"No, she wouldn't want that, she's been hiding it for a reason." Blaise reasoned. "Maybe we could help her out. Get her to talk to us".  
"Well that won't work with you two having a battle royale in the common room." Neville pointed out.  
"We can set aside our differences to help Hermione" Draco said. "Don't you agree Blaise?" he asked.  
Blaise nodded and strode towards Hermione's staircase. "Let's go play counselor guys"


	10. Chapter 10

In her room, Hermione paced back and forth. Her necklace was laying on her bed where she had thrown it when she ran in. She couldn't believe she showed them the necklace, and even worse, what was under it. As she paced, she tried desperately to come up with a plan to get them to forget what they saw. When she couldn't come up with anything she reached into her trunk and pulled out the knife. It took a deeper cut than usual this time, but when the blood started flowing she felt such a sweet release. She cleaned herself up and looked in the mirror, disgusted with herself.  
She heard an urgent knock at her door. Quickly she hid the knife, and made sure her arm was clean. "Go away" she yelled through the door. There was no response save for more knocking. "Of course you idiot, your wards are up" she chastised herself. She lowered the wards and called out again "Go away". They heard her this time and Blaise yelled back "Hermione let us in please. We're not mad at you we just want to talk to you".  
On the other side of the door, Draco was trying to pull the rest of her wards down so the could get into her room. While Blaise distracted her by begging to come him, he broke through them one by one. Finally he took the last one down and nodded to Neville who pushed against the door and shoved it open.  
Hermione was shocked when her door flew open, and she was glad that she had thought to clean up before they came in. She hadn't remembered to put her necklace back on though, so they boys could see the fresh cut on her thigh, still bleeding.  
Neville, after losing all the color in his face, spoke first "Hermione, we care about you. We just want to help you." He looked at her, afraid of what she might do. "If you won't talk to all of us," he continued "At least talk to one of us. Please".  
Hermione knew that it was useless to fight them, if she put up any sort of argument they might tell everyone else. She had to agree and talk to one of them. Neville would probably tell Harry everything she said, and he wasn't very good at problem solving so she knew that he wouldn't work. After Blaise's little outburst earlier, she knew that he would use any time alone to further their romantic relationship, and she definitely did not want that. "Fine" she finally answered "but I want it to be Draco." Draco looked up, surprised at her choosing him. He looked at Blaise who looked like he had been slapped. "Fine" Blaise snarled, echoing her earlier sentiment. He stormed out of the room, and Neville followed.  
Draco followed behind them and shut Hermione's door. Then he put up wards so they would not be disturbed, and cast a Muffliatto on the room so Blaise couldn't listen in. He turned to her, and took in her appearance.  
She was sitting on her bed still, looking so tired and scared, like a cornered animal. Her skin was ghostly white, and there were scars all over her body. He walked over to her wash basin and wet a towel. He walked back over to Hermione and wordlessly began dabbing at the cut on her leg. She winced at first, but he kept going as gently as possible. When he was done, he conjured some bandages and doctored her wound. He did all this in silence, thinking about how he would approach the subject of her problems.  
"What happened between you and Blaise?" Draco asked quietly. Hermione was surprised. Of all the things exposed that night, this seemed like something small.  
"In our 6th year he blackmailed me into meeting him in the room of requirement a few times a week. He pretended we were dating until I started playing along too. Eventually I started to like him back, but I still knew what we were doing was wrong. I finally demanded that he stop it because no one would ever accept us. He agreed that we couldn't date openly and we- broke up- for lack of a better term." Hermione explained.  
"For how long?" Draco asked, trying to remain as casual as possible. He blackmailed her? Draco would murder Blaise for this!  
"A few months at the most." Hermione replied.  
"Oh, he didn't make you do anything you didn't want to do did he?" Draco asked her, afraid of the answer.  
"Oh, no!" Hermione quickly reassured him. "We kissed alot, but that was it".  
Draco looked at her, thankful his best friend hadn't forced that on her. Her face was still so beautiful, even though she was thin and pale. He longed to reach up and kiss her but he knew this wasn't the right time. He was disgusted that his infatuation with her led Blaise to pursue her in such a horrible manner, and they were supposed to be talking about her, not his infatuation with her.  
"Hermione, tell me what happened to you. Tell me why you did this." Draco asked as gently as possible. Hermione looked at him, tears welling in her eyes.  
"Oh god Hermione" Draco said, his voice catching in his throat. He climbed onto the and leaned against the headboard, pulling her to him at the same time. He held her to him, and she rested her head on his chest. After a deep breath, the words just started falling out of her mouth.


	11. Chapter 11

"During the war, Harry, Ron, and I were constantly on the run. We weren't safe anywhere. We spent alot of sleepless, hungry nights in a tiny tent, alone. I could deal with that, as long as Harry and Ron were there with me. But slowly they pulled away. Ron actually left and Harry retreated into himself, ignoring everything else. We had a little radio, and every night the guy who did the radio show would have a moment of silence for the people who had been found dead that day, and then he would read out their names. Harry would listen to the show, and blame himself everytime someone's name was called, even if we didn't know them.  
We were fighting a battle we didn't think we could win. After the Battle of Hogwarts was finished, and Voldemort defeated we went back to the Burrow for the summer. My parents were still missing so I couldn't go home yet, and we all wanted to be together, to decompress I guess. Ron and I started dating and everything seemed like it would get better, the brutality of the war was over, and I had hoped that we could finally move on with our lives.  
Just when I thought things were too good to be true was when things started imploding. My parents were found dead in an apartment in Australia. It seems some death eaters killed them before Voldemort fell, and their bodies weren't found until the Aurors had time to go look for them after the war. I walked in on Ron cheating on me, with some blonde. When I asked him why he said it was because I wasn't attractive enough to keep a war hero's interest. At the funerals for all of our friends Harry and Ron expected me to be there for them, but they were never there for me. I started bottling up my feelings, not talking to anyone, and eventually physical pain was the only way to get them out. I started relying on potions and glamours to hide my scars and taking pills to keep me numb, but as my dependency grew, so did my need for secrecy. I withdrew even further, hiding from everyone. I was so happy to come here, to get away from them and live my own life. But I was so used to coping that way, that I had no other mechanism when I got stressed here."  
Hermione talked to Draco for hours that night, and after she cried herself to the point of exhaustion, she fell asleep in his arms. Draco laid back on the bed. and held Hermione until he fell asleep too.


	12. Chapter 12

It was still dark when Draco woke up to the sound of screams, the harsh light of the alarm clock told him it was 3:38am. He jumped out of the bed quickly, reached for his wand, and looked around frantically to see who was attacking them. Casting lumos to shed some light in the room, he saw Hermione wrapped in the sheets of her bed, screaming as if she were being tortured. Her eyes were closed, and he realized she must be having a nightmare.

He ran back to the bed, and tried to gently shake her awake. "Hermione, wake up, it's just a dream. It's not real, wake up" he cried. She bolted upright, and looked around the room with the same frantic eye Draco had earlier. She took in the room around her, and started to cry once she knew she was safe.  
"I'm so sorry Draco, I just have these horrid nightmares. I usually take a dreamless sleep potion before bed, but in the drama of the night I completely forgot." she rushed to explain through her tears. "I'm sorry you had to see that".

Draco felt a rush of emotion for the beautiful witch in front of him. "Shh Hermione, don't cry. It's okay. Let's get you that potion" he said as he held her hands in his his.

Hiccuping, she told him where the potion was, and thanked him once she had taken it. She laid back down and fell asleep quickly. Draco sat next to her on the bed, and rubbed small circles in her back until he was sure she was sleeping.

He got up and went to the door when a small, weary voice behind him asked "Draco, would you stay?". He turned around, believing he had imagined it. Hermione had her eyes open, with one small hand reaching out for him.

He nodded, and crawled into the bed next to her, pulling her tightly to his chest. She fell asleep again, but Draco stayed up all night and watched her, memorizing her. The way her hair fell in her face, the soft sounds she made as she breathed in and out, the look of utter peace on her face while she was free from the nightmares.

At six in the morning, as the sun began to fall through the window, Hermione stirred. She looked up at him and smiled.

"Thank you for staying with me." she said.

Draco looked at her and smiled back, "It was absolutely no trouble".  
Once he was sure she was alright, Draco left and headed across the dormitory to his rooms to get ready for the day. He got in the shower, thinking about all that Hermione had told him last night.  
"I just can't believe she kept all of that to herself for so long" he said to himself as he dried off in his room.  
"Kept what?".

Draco whipped around to find Blaise standing in his doorway. Draco's face went from shocked to livid in seconds.  
"YOU!" he screamed, "you have no right to ask about her after what you did". He flew across the room, and threw Blaise up against the wall. "You stay away from her, I don't care if she seems to be over it" he hissed to Blaise.

Blaise held his hands up in front of him. "Draco calm down, I came in to ask if there was anything I could do for her" he said as he pushed past Draco to the center of the room.  
Draco glared at him as Blaise sat down on his bed. "She's been through a lot and she isn't coping well" he started. "I think the only thing we can do for her is to be there when she needs us and help her cope".  
Blaise nodded "Sounds like something we can do" he agreed.

Draco walked over so that he was directly in front of Blaise and raised his wand to his face. "But if you ever try something like the shit you did before, I will torture you slowly, and then kill you".  
All the color drained from Blaise's face and he nodded once before leaving the room.

After "The Talk" as they had come to call that night, Draco, Blaise, and Neville all kept a close eye on Hermione, and she was genuinely trying to overcome her problems. The most notable change was in her weight. The night she ripped off her necklace, the boys had been horrified at how thin she actually was. It took Draco weeks of coaxing, and eating in the dorm with her, but she finally started to gain the weight she had lost back.

Instead of bottling her emotions up, she took to talking everything out with Draco. After spending the night together, the two found themselves in an easy friendship. Draco was always there for her, but never pushed her to talk about things, and Hermione appreciated his restraint. It allowed her to open up on her own time, in her own way. She never talked about her deep problems, but she confided in him about the stress she was facing at school, and her feelings of rejection from Ron and Harry.

It made Draco's blood boil to know that her two "best friends" never came to visit, and very rarely owled her. He thought the golden trio would be inseparable after the war, but instead those two ignored Hermione's pain, lost in their own stupid worlds. It took time, but eventually Draco, Neville, and even Blaise began to fill the friendship void in her heart. They were always there when she needed anything, and it was very common for the four of them to stay up laughing all night.

December came much quicker than anticipated, and the holiday break was just around the corner. Hermione planned on staying at school for most of the break, only going to The Burrow for Christmas day. She did not want to deal with the stress of the Weasleys. Draco also planned on staying at school for the break, and Hermione was very excited to spend some time with him alone. Both Blaise and Neville were going home, so she and Draco would have the dorm to themselves for two whole weeks.


	13. Chapter 13

"I'm really sorry I have to go Hermione." Neville said, "but I'm sure you'll have a lovely time here with Draco". Winking at her, he turned and flooed to his grandmother's house.  
Blaise walked up to the fireplace once Neville disappeared and grimaced at Hermione and Draco.  
"Well, as much as I hate the thought of you two staying here alone, I have to go to. My mother is hosting a huge Christmas gala and I'm not allowed to miss it" Blaise griped.

Ignoring the murderous look on Draco's face, he smiled at Hermione and said "If you change your mind and you want to come cara, just owl me". With one final glance at Draco, he flooed away to his manor.

Once both of them were gone, Draco turned to Hermione ans grinned. "Finally alone are we?" he said "Good, I was starting to think those two would never leave " he smiled mischievously.

Hermione looked at Draco and rolled her eyes, "First we should go down to Hogsmeade and get a Christmas tree. It won't feel like the holidays without some decor."

"Good idea" Draco said. He started walking towards his staircase "Just give me a minute to get ready, and we can go".

Hermione nodded, and Draco went upstairs. She walked over to the bookcase and looked at the books for a minute before deciding what she wanted to read. Grabbing her book, she went over to the chair in front of the fire and opened it up. Something white floated down to the floor from the book, and Hermione reached down to pick it up. Looking at it curiously, she saw that it was a letter addressed to Draco in a strange handwriting.  
"Hmm" she thought "I probably shouldn't look at this, because it is Draco's. But why would he hide a letter in a book"? After glancing up at the stairs, her curiosity got the better of her, and she opened it up.

My Dearest Draco,  
I am writing you to inform you of my final wishes. The healers tell me I haven't much time left, and I don't want to leave with any unfinished business. My possessions will all go to you, the vault at Gringotts, the house, and everything inside it. The house elves will all enter into your employ, and the rest of the staff has all agreed to stay on if you want them to. Running the house and grounds may be difficult in addition to your course work, but I think you will be able to handle it until you can find a wife to help you.

I want you to know that I love you very much, and I am so sorry for everything I allowed your father to put you through. I hope you will one day forgive me, and find solace in the fact that he can not hurt you again.  
Love always,  
Your mother

The paper behind the letter had just a few sentences written on it.  
Mr. Malfoy,  
I regret to inform that at 4:28pm on this day the eighth of December, your mother passed on. If it is any consolation, her death was very painless and quick. This letter was found near her bed addressed to you. I express my deepest sympathies and condolences to you for your loss.  
-Healer Griffin

Hermione looked up, tears in her eyes. Now she knew why Draco was so sullen and distant lately. His mother had died, and he never told her, or anyone else for that matter. A noise by the stairs startled her out of her reverie, and she saw Draco descending dressed in his coat and scarf. He saw her tears and ran over, a concerned look on his face.

"Hermione, what's wrong love?" Draco asked.  
Hermione sniffled, and handed him the letters, afraid he would be upset with her for snooping. through his personal letters.  
His face went uncharacteristically red, and he grabbed them from her.

"Hermione, how could you read my personal correspondence?", he glared at her, "you had no right".

"I know Draco, but I wanted to read this book, and the letters just fell out, I didn't go looking for them, and I was just so intrigued I couldn't help myself, I just had to read them. Oh Draco I'm so sorry about your mother, why didn't you tell any of us? We would have been there for you" Hermione said quickly, sniffling once she was done as more tears fell from her eyes.

Draco looked at Hermione, his expression softening a little.  
"It's okay love, I'm not mad at you, I just didn't want to talk about it with anyone. It just hurts so much."  
Hermione jumped up and hugged him, almost knocking him to the floor. Shocked at the sudden display of affection, Draco slowly wrapped his arms around Hermione.

"Oh Draco, I can't believe you suffered in silence. Is there anything I can do for you" she asked.  
"Actually, it would be nice if we could just sit and talk for a bit? I haven't been able to talk about my mother with anyone because everyone hated her, no one wants to here about her and her life."

"I would love for you to tell me all about your mum Draco" Hermione replied, smiling through the tears. She pulled him next to her on the couch and cuddled under his arm.

"Alright then. Like I said, Everyone hated my mother. They thought Narcissa was just like my father, but they didn't know that he was the controlling one. When I was born, he spent no time with me, but my mother loved me more than anything. She used to sleep in my nursery with me to get away from my father, and spend time with me. When I got a little older, we would go out together almost everyday. She took me to museums and gardens, introducing me to the culture of our world. Instead of hiring a tutor, she taught me how to read and write, and spent all of her free time with me. After I turned 6, my father decided that she was too easy on me, and that it was unhealthy for her to spend so much time with me. So he restricted her free time, and began beating me to 'toughen me up' before I left home for Hogwarts. Any minor transgressions were met with punishment, and I was routinely blamed for things that had never occurred, If my mother stepped in to stop him, he would beat her too. Over time, I begged her to stop because there was not point in both of us getting hit. When Voldemort rose to power again, he forced us to participate, punishing us if we rebelled. My mother was always there for me after a meeting with the Death Eaters, hugging me and consoling me. She was always there no matter what." Draco's voice broke as he started crying.

"I-it was my father who made her sick. He poisoned her with a very lethal, but slow acting flower. There is no antidote, and the flower itself is so rare that it can only be found once every ten years. He ground it up, and put it in her tea one evening, and it slowly killed her over the next six months. I guess I should just be happy that she had enough time to say goodbye and get her affairs in order."

Hermione looked at Draco, and took him in her arms. She looked at him and almost wept at the pain brewing in his tear-filled eyes. She held him close, trying to heal the pain in his heart, as he had done for her. "I'm so sorry Draco" she murmured.


End file.
